Automatic grave cover



Sept' 23, 1930. E. w. DODDRIDGE Y AUTOMATIC GRAVE COVER Filed April 16,1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @www EN iw. .1l k

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Ill |Ii HHHIHUI i Sept. 23, 1930. E. w. DODDRIDGE AUTOMATIC GRAVE COVERFiled April 16 maf y @The Object of, .thibsl'jjrf'lv'ention,

vits operations, Y it,y willloccupy age or transportation, and which canbe vmanf tenured Patented Sept.'23, 1930 if "naar, w. DODDRIDG, or'mirroir, INDIANA 1` 'Y `AUTOMATIC `emivn .COVER M i,111511,11@no,11'"inea Ajprn 16,

v broadly speaking, is to` provide an kautomatic grave'- c'over Vto beemployed during the interment of a humanbody,- n'd immediately prioryand subsequent thereto, l,the samerbeing strong and durable inconstructiomneat and attrac-y tive in appearance, automaticandfpos'itive in easily'disassembled by which a minimumI of space forstorand soldata 'com aratively low price.

` f lilore' specifically stated, myobject is to provi e l I slowly anormally horizontal gravecover, which willcover the grave before andduring thetime'a casket is placed thereover, preparatory to the casketbeinglowered into the grave.' To provide vmeans whereby as thecasketstarts to'move ydovvnwardwand is being floweredfintol the grave,the Vcover will open downward 'by' gravity, finally Y attaining a'substantially verticalposition but without contact; withythe casket,land when v.the casket has'moved downward to such posi-y ,y raisedbackto its normal h tion-as not to interfere ,with the `raisingof the cover,then Vthe cover will be slowly ro'rizontal position,

thereby .closing therggrave, `the caskety continuing to move downwardfunti'lf it ,reaches the `bottom 4ofthe grave, or is other,-

wise retarded;

y 4 Otherf'olojects and particular advantages `being covered by a of myinvention willv become apparent in the course of they followingdescription, and will particularly suggest themselves to morticians, andto othersrfamiliar withthe art to whichtheA invention pertains. i, i

. vThemeansfor carrying outthe construcoperations'incident'tomyfinvention is shown `in, the, accompanying two-sheets of.` drawings,in whichFigure l Vis a top plan view of my kconstruction in opa vfggr'ave,but prior to its decorative .blankety or the placing, ofa burialAcasket thereover,tand also showing an lordinary "casketr loweringposition Y j in f connection erative position `over"v device inoperative with my device. Figure 2y showsv an 'end .elevation of`myldevice in operativeposition with relation to agrave and aloweringdel vice:

19g7. seran No. 184,398.

and lshowing my device in ,the 'position it wouldassume with the casketinthe position shown; ,Figure 4 is a i showing a portion of one ofthe-wings, with a portion Aof `an vimitation-grass blanket thereon.Figure 5-is a detail view, showing the vfirst positionof the rope'of`thepulley mechanism at one corner ofthe device. .Figure Gis the sameexcept that it shows the second position. `And Figure 7 isthe ,sameexcept that it kjshowsthe third positionl of the same. i L l Similarindices denote like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In order thatthe tion, andthe sever yl 'advantages vention may bemorefully understood and appreciated," I will now take up, a'A detaileddescription thereof, `inwhich Ifwill setforth thesa-me ascomprehensively3S, I may.f

@In the drawings letter A i of an Yopen grave having vertical sides asshown. Letter B denotes the surface 'ofijthe ground 'innwhich the graveis formed..

f 'Letters' C and D denotejthe side Agir-..rlclng runningfboards; kand Eand. F k'denote 4the n The ,said4 four running-boardsmform fa frame,surrounding' the grave` and resting G denotes a burial' casket toltfloosely in thegrave'A.r Y ,A .v

' The'casket loweringdevice comprises the four corner; posts H, ,whichfare adapted "to rest on the boards E and F, and they are alfl Connectedby ,the two long rQllerS` l 4@unddle two Short rollers J: if." 1;; Therollers I are adapted'to yrevolve,and they are geared to`rrotate.ftogetheriin ydirec-` tions opposite toj each other, and theturning thereof, is adaptedtoi be controlled "by, the handle K`,"which`ris connected with vthe `fr'meclnanism L, only part of Lwhich .is shown.LettersLMIand N denote the two casket supporting straps, the endsthereof vbeing secured each to two rollers "I, around which perspectivedetail,

construction, theoperai 'of my 1in- 70 denotes yaportion soy of 5aT-'fitting 12 secured spective ttings12V and 1.3

they arel adapted to wind, or to unwind therefrom, the two operatingsynchronously.

All of said parts, which are designated by letters, are old and I makeno1-claim thereto per se, and as their constructions are well knowntherefore kfurther description thereof would add more to proliXity thanto clearness of comprehension. f

The invention vproper comprises two, opfr Ypositely disposed, wings eachconsistingof" a central or mam memberpand a minor1-- or, k,end memberlocated at each end ofthe main members, as spaced therefrom, for thepur-1,

inafter set forth. Y l A The timing ofthe movementsof thewings posehereinafter statedQ As the two wings are identical with eachother,therefore thel corresponding.fparts.of each wing will be f VdesignatedVby like numerals, and a` descriptionfof one' will, therefore,l answerfor both.- Eachfof said 4wings consists of a main shaft 4, whichfis'lr'evolvably mountedin the hangers 1, 2 and 3,2 whichl hangers areydetachably se-y cured to 'therunning-.board C :(oruD) and eXten'dinwardfwhereby the shaft'4 is located Vver the edge'y of the 'grave andparallel therewith', and alsothey are parallel with thevllln ning-boardG and D, v' Y, p

Ih'e main member 0f each wing 1s formed, inaddition to the shaft v4,asfollows: Con-` nected with thesh'aft'4 aretheTfittlings 5 s Iarelocated near the respective straps M and vN, that is near theinneredg'es thereof. Securedin said fittings 5l and 6 are the end arms?and 8respectively. Said Y arms 7 and Sja-re located., at right anglestothe shaft 54. L-shaped fittingst) and l0 are attached to the vinnerends of the respective are connected by the rod.`11, which is parallelwith the shaft 4l The length of the arms `Zi-,and Sfare such that therods 11 of the two wings are'locatedv near but not in contact with eachother, in fact they should be yspaced a `short distance apart, as shown.'l

, Each of the vfour minor wing-members, which areidentical witheachother 'consists tothe 'shaft 4, and an "Ls-fitting 13 secured" onthe end of said shaftfy vExtending centerward from the rfev 15, whichare of the same lengthy asare the arms7 and'S. y I e p 1 vSecured ontheinner ends of the arms 14 a-ndfl are theV L-shaped fittings y16 and17, iespectively, which'are connected by the rod 8.v Y

Extendingv across, Vand connecting the arms 14 and 15, is an adjustablebar 19, which is adapted to be secured at any point desired between theshaft 4 and the rod ,18. e Y

Secured Viritliecenter of the barv19 is an eye-bolt 20to'which isconnected the pulley Secured toQand extending around the roller I is afixed collar 22. p Spaced from the collar. 2 2` and loosely surroundingthe roller I is the following intrumentalities:

'er I'; themriiber revolved inwardly,

i 5 In. actual practice each are thearms 14 and y the caskettoitur'Thecross-bar 19, the eye-bolt20, the pulley 21, the' collars'e22 and23', and these-able 24 constitute the'pulley mechanism, ofwhich there'arefo'u'n there being two `for eachwing, and

whereby the 4wingsgare automatically loweredfand raised they thenerelmeans synchronously, and in proper time, as-hereisj accomplished by:either one,hor all, of the Iheposition of thetcollar 22,circumferentially, uponth'eroll- A of coils' Ofthefcable aroundthcyloller I,Y and the ,positionfof the bar 1 9 along thegarms 14 andl'.i

` Byrthe Larrangement ofthe cable mecharnism,as shown, 1t will be seen,with the partsv p y1thatif theiro'ller I be arranged asin Fig'. )A 'y vl that is yinthe vdirection t0 22,-after which'it isy then coiled v yrun rthrough the Y loosen the straps M and N, `that the cables 24krwillv be unwou d fromv the rollers I, therebyf permitting the wings Itoturn'downwardly gravitationally until they have comete vertifkycalpp'ositi,on'rorvnearly so', at: which time all @f thecoilsbeingunwound fromrthe rollers I, then asthe rollersIV continue" to` revolve1n the same` direction'asbefore, therefore the cables will then commencetowind in the opi posite fdirecftion upon said rollers, thereby drawingthe. wings. upwarchthat is back toA horizontal orf normalfposition, thatisto' their n Y starting` position. shown; in Figs. l and 2.

1t will @Whe apparent rangement the wings .willbe -given` two di rectlyopposite movements, with the rollers I all fthe 'whileturning in one(direction,y

*therunningboards around the grave,with i thatV by this ar- Y of thewings should Y slots formed in the blankets forfthe straps M fand Ntooperate in,wherebyy the open'grave will-,not-.b'e seen personsattendingy lan tementboards are thenfplaced therearound as shown.

fter the :grave formed v Next my device isplaced in position, asinFigjl. The'blankets are then placedoven my device. Thev lowering. deviceisvthen placed in position, ,asshowm after which the.

casket may be placed uponthe straps M and Y N., where it will beretained in suspension, as

shown in Figs. l2. f

. c Now by turn'ngthe handle-K the lowering Y.

deviceiwill be caused" to permit the weight vof Nh: from said rollers,

n therollersihun'winding the e Y i fthe cables 24, whereby as thecasketmoves nearly so.

downward the wings of my device will turn slowly downward in advance ofthe casket, finally assumingvertical position`,or nearly so. As soon asthe casket has kbeen lowered to where the wings will not interferetherewithV then the wings will start to move upward, finally comingyback to their former horizontalA positionl at the same time that thecaskety reaches the bottom ofthe grave, or

By the above it will be seen that thegrave will/be covered and closed'bythe time the casket reaches the lower part ofthe grave, and the interiorof the grave will not be seen by those in attendance, and the casketwill not be seen after it has moved some distance into the grave. p i pi The position of the collar 22 and the cable V24C at the commencementof the iirst operation, that is with the wings as in Fig. 2, 1s shown inFig. 5.. The position of said parts when the wingsare as in Fig. 3` isshown in Fig. `6. And the position ofsaid 4parts when i The particularlynovel featureof this inthe wings have been returned to vhorizontalposition is shown in Fig. 7.

. 'vention resides in the fact that the wings, which are controlled bythe rollers I, move i'irst slowly downward from horizontal to verticalposition, then remain stationary for an interval, and thenmove slowlyupwardly,

returning to theirv former horizontal position; all of which is donewith the rollers I revolving continuously in one direction, and

at a uniform rate of speed.

After the interment services have terminated, and those in attendancehave withdrawn, then the lowering device and my device may be removedand packed into a comparatively small space, for transportation andstorage until again required.

f Having now fully shown and described my i invention, what I claim anddesire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States, is-

1.'.An automatic grave cover to be emn ployed with a grave with a casketlower- -ing -device having -a roller located` on each side of the gravewith straps connecting said rollers and wound thereon and adapted tosupport a casket over the grave; a pair of wings hinged whereby they mayturn down into said grave, cables connecting said` rollers and saidwings and wound around said rollers whereby as Said rollers revolve tolower the casketthe said wings will turn downward until the casket haspassed them, after which thev wings will move upward to closed positionasthe casketcontinues to move downward to its final position in thegrave. 2. A device to be used with a grave and a n lowering devicehaving a roller located on each side of said grave with strapskconnecting said rollersand adapted to supporta casket over said grave;an automaticall operable cover normall closing the ,to o said grave an-dlocated elow sai-d cas et, 'saidvof each wing, each of said pulleymechanisms comprising a cross-bar adjustably connected toto its wingportion, a pulley connected to the cross-bar, a fixed collar on theroller, a loose collar surrounding the roller, a cable secured at oneend to the fixed collar and adapted to coil around the roller to bewound thereon or be unwound therefrom as the roller revolves, with theother en'd of said cable attached to the loose collar. Y

4:. A grave cover comprising a pair of spaced apart rotatableshafts,hangers for said shafts, a wing secured to each shaft, said wings beingadapted to approach nearto each other when they are locatedhorizontally, and automatically operable means for causing said wings toturn downwardly into vertical position and then be returned to saidhorizontal position by the revolving of said shafts continuouslyin onedirection.

5. An automatic grave cover comprising a pair of wings hinged onopposite edges thereof, cables connecting said wings to rollers andadapted to be wound and unwound with relation to said rollers whereby asthe rollers revolve continuously in one direction the said wings will becaused to swing downward from horizontal to vertical positions an-d thentoswing upwardly to horizontal position, substantially asset forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

EARL w. Donnninen.

